The Institute of Mechanics and Dynamics, directed by Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Detlef Kuhl, represents the department of analytical, numerical and experimental mechanics in education and research.

The field is divided into the working groups "modeling and numerical mechanics" and "experimental mechanics".

The "modeling and numerical mechanics" group currently deals with modeling advanced mechanical systems, prevalent with insufficient realistic captured mechanisms. Examples of these models are:

the interaction of chemical processes, moisture and heat transport,
mechanically induced deformation and damage in concrete and
the interaction of electromagnetic fields with thermomechanics in metal parts during the manufacturing process of thermo-mechanical deformation, wit metallic contact and the subsequent cooling fluid.

The methodological and algorithmic developments and investigations are complemented by simulations of real engineering applications.

The second group, "experimental mechanics", determines the mechanical parameters of experiments, which are used to identify and parameterize mechanical models. Computer-based methods of signal analysis and system identification are developed and applied to real data structures. The methodological foci are the methods of experimental modal analyses and model adaptation using finite element-based parameter identification. In addition, procedures for long-term observations are developed for current state analyses of supporting structures and are tested on real applications.

The interaction of the methods and results of the two fields allows challenging and innovative problems in the broad field of mechanics to be addressed.